Popular Culture: Harry Potter: June 2007 Archives

June 9, 2007

Tribunal to fundie whiner: bugger off!

United Kingdom: A teaching assistant who quit her job after refusing to let a child read from a Harry Potter book has lost her case for religious discrimination. Some interesting details of the case have emerged, including her strange beliefs about the books and their author.

She also said author JK Rowling was a 'real witch' and hearing the seven-year-old girl reading out spells from the story would leave her cursed...

She said: I said this because it is known that the subject of the Harry Potter books is white magic. The main character himself is a wizard who casts spells and uses the supernatural in order to triumph in various plots.

I do not believe that there can be such a thing as a mild form of witchcraft as the Holy Bible gives express instructions against some of the practices contained in the book and I therefore objected to the child reading this book to me. It would compromise my religious beliefs.

The tribunal also found that her other claims were not true, and that she had lied about the assistant headmaster insulting the Bible to her, and belittling her faith.

June 8, 2007

Teaching assistant wants compensation for her own bias

United Kingdom: A teaching assistant who discriminated against a child on religious grounds is seeking compensation for religious discrimination. Sariya Allen quit her job at a London school after she was disciplined for refusing to hear a child reading aloud from a Harry Potter book. She claims the books glorify witchcraft.

Ms Allen, 47, said the mother of a seven-year-old girl who was a fluent reader had complained to the girl's teacher that the book Ms Allen had given her was too easy.

The girl then chose a Harry Potter book from her reading folder, but Ms Allen refused to listen to her reading it because God had stated in the Bible that witchcraft was an abomination, she told the Guardian yesterday. The girl went home and told her mum. I also had told the teacher that I objected to hearing that book read because of my faith,Ms Allen said.